Lol I was just thinking that. You can keep you lava rock man. I don't need those gods mad at me. Sent on my pet rock using a rubber band
Here is something to keep in mind if reducing the carbon footprint is important. Lava rock is quarried and crushed. Perlite is quarried, crushed AND needs to be heated to 1500-1600F. Both are of volcanic origin and are mostly produced in Western States. New Mexico, Utah and Colorado are leading producers of perlite in the U.S. I worked a couple big greenies in Trinity County. There was a ton of bagged soil that was dumped outside of one greenhouse from the year before. The dust created from this all summer really sucked to deal with. All that said, I use both lava rock and perlite, albeit perlite to a much lesser extent. RD
Good point RD, that does need to be considered. I also have both in my mix just that the majority is perlite. Another consideration is the weight of pumice vs perlite - hauling more weight uses more energy. It would be some heavy math to figure which makes more sense by location huh? Not it! Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk
Yeah I hear you! Hard to say which is more friendly to the environment. I think that with our style of growing it's a fairly moot point. The more runs we get with any given material the more ''friendly" it becomes if you ask me.
Thanks to you toaster and also scooby. Hopefully most of them will scarper when I decant to smaller containers so I don't have to worry about them chewing on my plants.
I bet sprinkling a 1/2 cup of neem cake on the soil will fix your issues with unwanted critters. The current ones and the future ones too. Also can make a neem cake tea. Just soak a 1/2 cup of neem cake in a mason jar of water. Let it sit in the fridge for a few days. Use just the liquid and dilute with water say 10:1 water:neem tea water in. Bugs gone. Add un-used to your compost pile or just pour in the garden. I always have a jar of neem tea in the fridge ready. Just never know. Cant spray it on flowers tho.
Bo, I'm not sure you're aware but he's speaking of the dreaded pill bug or rolly pollie. Pill bugs have been in my no till beds and compost and worm bins for years. I have no intention or interest in trying to harm or kill them. I've never lost a seedling or plant to them ever. I'm not saying it's impossible. Just extremely unlikely as long as there is mulch and decaying matter on the soil surface. I think it goes without saying that there should be decaying matter in our no tills. Peace RD
I also have never lost a seedling or had a plant damaged by them. Might have happened, but as you said, "extremely unlikely". For me, they are just part of the landscape/environment and there is no thought given to killing or harming them. There is simply no purpose for that. Wet
Here's a visual for you guys illustrating the difference in growth in a 20g vs. 500g bed. All plants were started at the same time. The plant in the 20g is getting chopped because its the only plant w spider mites despite all my efforts. Plus I should probably stick another dehum in it's place. RD Sent from my XT1609 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
If one follows the notill soil Reciepe there is no reason to let the soil “ cook” I Allways perceived “ cooking” the soil as letting the overfertilized soil relax. No need with notill Your first run will be good Your third even better.m I’ve direct sown seeds into day old notill with fabulous results
I was gonna add some dolomite lime and some earth worm castings in addition to the recipe. Will either of those affect having to let it cook or not?
It really just depends on wether or not you will need to let your soil cycle. Your compost source and the volume of soil you mix are the two biggest variables. Mix your soil up and wait 2-3 days and then dig down halfway and see if the soil feels hot to you. When I mixed my 500g beds it took a few weeks to cool down. The same exact mix in 20g pots needs no time to cycle at all. RD
No they are shredders and my friends. I thought he had lice or something??? I have a shit ton of em. I depend on them to break down compost inputs into smaller pieces for the red worms and bacteria to eat. Good stuff.
This is true.. it depends on how big the mix is. When I do a large mix in my driveway on a 16x16 tarp - say 2 yards worth - it gets hot and there's a lot of activity with bacteria. If you were to plant young plants or seedlings I doubt they would live. It's not thermophillic hot but pretty warm.
Just found this out the hard way with bigger batches...lucky for me it was tomatoes not my precious babies....gotta get more Cherokee purples
I'm curious if anyone has ever used some good ole Comfrey around here? You know the kind. It's made probiotically with fresh mountain water. Comes in a 1 gallon jug... just like the 'dro store. What's next? Can we just put "No-till" directly into a bottle already? No till....remember to shake well!
Need to upgrade to bigger pots....I know but it's working for now.. autos back 2 are sour livers front would have been 2x 3 bears og but I didn't like the one 3 bears....so I chopped it